


Little Prey

by Sirius4Life



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26533315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirius4Life/pseuds/Sirius4Life
Summary: Alex and K-Unit are on their way to attack a Scorpia compound when they're ambushed. Alex and K-Unit are captured and must survive the torture that their captor has planned for them until MI6 finds them. Sorry for the short summary, I'm not really good at writing summaries.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. I'm new to AO3 so if I need to adjust the rating, please let me know. Enjoy!

Alex was pissed. He really was. He should have been home with Jack and Tom, but instead he was crammed in the back of an armored vehicle with K-Unit on their way to a remote Scorpia base. Remote was putting it mildly, the base was stationed in the middle of a large forest, the closest sign of civilization was a tiny village. Alex hadn’t wanted to go on this mission, hadn’t wanted to deal with Scorpia again, but like every time in the past, MI6 had found a way to twist his arm, this time through Tom. His parent’s nasty divorce had gotten even worse, which resulted in Tom running away and CPS getting involved. When Jack heard that CPS was going to remove Tom from his home, she had quickly applied to be his foster parent. Given her status with Alex, CPS had allowed it and was set to be officially approved….unless MI6 interfered. Blunt had more or less told Alex he would have it thrown out if he didn’t agree to go on the mission, so reluctantly Alex had agreed. Suddenly, Alex was pulled out of his thoughts as Wolf spoke.

“Are you alright Alex?” Wolf as well as the rest of K-unit knew what Blunt and Jones had done. They hated how MI6 always found a way to manipulate Alex. Alex was family to them.

“I’m fine. How far are we?”

“Not too far. Remember the plan?”

“Get you guys in, then stick close.”

“Good.”

Alex’s only job was to get K-Unit into the base by squeezing through a narrow passage that led straight to the power room. Once there, he would shut off the power and wait for K-Unit to infiltrate the building and grab him. Alex was about to speak when suddenly there was an explosion. Alex felt the truck veer out off the road before crashing into a tree. As the truck came to a halt, they rushed out of the car, K-Unit with their guns drawn and a protective stance around Alex, their only unarmed member. They were greeted with several men and women with their weapons aimed at them, all wearing a scorpion insignia.

A man stepped out from behind the guards, a man that sent chills down all their spines. “Lower your weapons”, said Dr. Three, Scorpia’s torture expert.

K-unit stood still refusing to obey.

A look of annoyance danced across Dr. Three’s face. “If you do not lower your weapons, my men have orders to shoot to kill every one of you except young Alex so that I can deal with him as planned. You’re outnumbered, even if one of you do survive, you’ll be in no position to protect him.” Dr. Three paused, letting his words sink in before beginning again. “However, if you lower your weapons, you have my word that you will all be taken alive, giving you all at least an opportunity to try and protect him. To save him.”

Wolf looked around at his team, who were all awaiting his order. It wasn’t in their nature or their training to back down but one look at Alex told him that they couldn’t let him enter whatever hell he was about to be dragged into alone. Wolf lowered his weapon to the ground and raised his hands above his head, the rest of the team following suit.

“Good choice”, Dr. Three said as his men moved towards K-Unit and Alex.

The men forced them onto the ground and bound their hands behind their backs. Wolf turned his head to look over at Alex. Alex looked at him in the eyes and did his best to nod to Wolf, as if to assure Wolf that he had made the right decision, but Wolf didn’t miss the look of panic and fear in his eyes. Before he could yell out a warning, a needle was plunged into Alex’s neck. Wolf saw his eyes roll back in his head before they closed, and Alex’s body went limp. A second later, Wolf felt a sting in his own neck, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex woke up to the sound of muttering voices. He tried to focus on what they were saying but couldn’t make anything out. His mind felt foggy and his eyes heavy. He wanted to go back to sleep but something was telling him he couldn’t. It took a few more seconds for his mind to begin to clear enough to remember what happened. K-Unit, the crash, Dr. Three. The surge of panic and fear that coursed in him at the memories were enough to shock the rest of his mind and body out its daze.   
Alex opened his eyes and saw that he had been bound to a chair. His arms tied to the arm rests and his feet tied to the legs. Alex looked up and saw where the muttering voices were coming from. K-Unit were all bound to chairs in a row facing him. It looked like they were having an intense discussion until Snake looked over and noticed that he was awake. 

“Alex! Thank God!” Snake exclaimed. 

“Are you okay?” Wolf asked.

“I’m fine, other than being tied to a chair. Are you guys alright?”, Alex responded. 

“We’re fine. We were just trying to figure out what we are going to do”, Fox explained, “So far we don’t have much sense we all just woke up ourselves, but once we get more information we can be ready.”

Alex just nodded his head. He didn’t know what else he could do. Alex looked around the room. It was large with bare concrete walls and a wide cement floor. There was nothing in the room except him and K-Unit. Suddenly, there were muffled footsteps coming from behind him. Alex and K-Unit stiffened as the footsteps became closer and the door opened. A guard stepped into view and Alex could almost hear Wolf growl as Dr. Three stepped into view as well. 

“Good, you’re all awake. Let me explain what is going to be happening to you all.”

Dr. Three stopped and turned to look at Alex directly before he started speaking again. 

“Alex. You have caused a great deal amount of trouble for Scorpia. We thought that sniper’s bullet would have been enough to stop you from interfering with our plans again. We were wrong, you chose to confront us again, and thus this is your fate. As you know, I am a master of torture and to put it simply, I will torture you until your body can no longer take it and you die.”

Dr. Three stopped once again and turned to look directly at K-Unit before speaking again. 

“As for you, K-Unit, you have helped Alex numerous times in the past. I’ve seen how you care for him, how you all fight to protect him. Therefore, I could think of no better torture for you all than to sit and watch as Alex is slowly killed in front of you, completely helpless to save him. Once Alex has died, you will all be killed as well.”

As Dr. Three finished his statement, K-Unit began to fight against their restraints, yelling every foul thing they could think of at Dr. Three. Alex, looked at Dr. Three and then to K-Unit. He started yelling at K-Unit to stop shouting. He was afraid if they pushed too far, Dr. Three would retaliate. It took a minute, but K-Unit finally listened and stopped, but still glaring daggers at Dr. Three. 

“One more thing before we begin. While I intend to spend quite a lot of time torturing Alex, I will not hesitate to kill him if any of you make an escape attempt. Fight against the guards, he dies. Same for you Alex, try to escape, and I kill one of them. Now that we have got that settled.” Dr. Three signaled the guard, who came to stand right in front of Alex. “You’ll have to forgive me Alex, for not doing this first session myself, I’m afraid I’m not quite built for it.”

As soon as Dr. Three stopped speaking, the guard lashed out, punching Alex straight in the jaw. Alex felt his head whip to the side and stars started to dance in his vision. Another fist hit him, sending his head back to the other side. Alex cried out in pain as he felt the guard’s fist slam into his stomach. Alex closed his eyes as the punches kept coming, hoping that he’d pass out. He could hear K-Unit yelling in the background but chose to tune it out. He couldn’t listen to them yell for him like that. However, just as he thought it would never end, the punches stopped. Alex opened his eyes to see that the guard had stepped away off to the side, wiping his hand with a cloth. Dr. Three was looking at him with a demented gleam in his eyes. 

The door opened once again and this time several guards came in. They walked straight over to K-Unit and Alex, releasing them from their chairs and forcing them out of the room and into the hallway. Remembering what Dr. Three had said, none of them fought back against their guards. They were then all pushed into a room containing a several thin mats and a toilet before the door was slammed behind them.

Alex stumbled over to the wall where he slid down, resting his head on his knees. He hurt all over, there wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t screaming in pain. His head felt like it had been crushed. He didn’t realize K-Unit had surrounded him until he heard Eagle speak. 

“Alex…”, Eagle said as he laid a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex looked up and saw Eagle’s concerned face. He looked around and saw that they were all looking at him with various levels of concern. Alex wanted to tell them that he was fine, but he knew that they wouldn’t take it. Instead he just let them sit there with him. They stayed that way the rest of the night till they all fell into a restless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Alex Rider.

Morning brought breakfast. Or at least they assumed it was morning as there wasn’t a way for them to tell time. An armed guard had dropped off a tray containing some fruits and bottles of water. Nowhere near enough to be filling but just enough to keep them alive. Alex softly chewed on his orange; his jaw ached with each movement from yesterday’s session. He looked around at K-unit who had all finished their portions and were staring at the door, waiting for the moment it would be thrown open and the torture to start anew. Alex wanted to ease their stress but couldn’t think of any way how. He just hoped that no matter what happened to him, MI6 would find K-unit in time. He didn’t want them paying for his actions more than they already were. His feelings must have shown on his face somehow because the next thing he knew, Fox was talking to him.

“Alex, this isn’t your fault. Don’t try and say that’s not what you’re thinking because I can tell that it is. Everyone here made a choice. We’re ALL going to get through this, you hear me?”

Alex was going to argue but as he made eye contact with Fox, he saw a look of desperation in his eyes. Fox was desperate for Alex to understand that this wasn’t his fault and that they weren’t leaving him, no matter what. 

“I hear you”, Alex said truthfully. 

Fox looked as if he were about to say more when they heard footsteps approaching the door. They all stood up, preparing for what they knew would come next. The door was swung open and armed guards once again flooded into the room, grabbed them, and forced them out of the room. They were shoved into a room similar to the last one except instead of a singular chair facing a row of chairs, there was a laboratory table facing a row of chairs. K-unit were quickly tied to the chairs as Alex was strapped onto the table. Once the prisoners were all secured, the guards left the room, leaving Alex and K-unit alone once more. Alex turned his head to the side to look at K-unit.

“It’s going to be okay Alex. You’re going to be fine.” Wolf replied, trying to reassure Alex as much he could. 

The door opened and Dr. Three stepped into the room. He didn’t say a word as he walked over to Alex and pulled a lever, causing the table to slant slightly downwards. Alex’s pulse quickened; he had a feeling of where this was headed. He hoped he was wrong. His feeling was confirmed when he heard the sound of running water a second later. Dr. Three was going to waterboard him. 

K-unit tensed as Dr. Three walked towards Alex holding a towel and a long hose capped with a nozzle. A limitless supply of water, Snake thought as Dr. Three came to a stop at Alex’s head. 

Alex glared up at Dr. Three, trying not to show an once of the fear that was building in his chest. Dr. Three waited a moment, as if expecting Alex to say something before placing the towel over Alex’s face and begun spraying the water. 

Alex instantly began to drown. He couldn’t breathe. He gasped for air only to be met with water. He tried to move his head to turn away from the onslaught of water but there was no escape the water was everywhere. Just when he thought he was going to pass out, the water stopped, and the towel was removed. Alex greedily sucked in air, coughing up water as he did so. He could feel tears mixing with the water on his face. He looked at Dr. Three, who seemed pleased with the results. Alex’s breathing had just about evened out when the towel was once again placed over his face and the process began again. Like before, right when Alex felt as if he was about to pass out, the towel and the water were removed. 

Dr. Three moved away from the table as Alex once again tried to even out his breathing. Alex silently prayed for it to be the end. That this was all Three had planned to do to him today. He didn’t think he could last another round. He looked over at K-unit, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

“I think that will be enough for today Alex. Don’t want you dying on me too soon.” Dr. Three said as he approached the table once again. He stood there a moment, as if trying to cement the image of Alex gasping for breath in his mind before leaving the room. 

The guards immediately reentered the room and grabbed them. They were once again shoved back into their cell. As soon as the door shut, K-unit immediately went to Alex, whose breathing had thankfully returned to normal. Snake reached him first and quickly cupped Alex’s face in his hands, forcing Alex to look straight at him. 

“Alex, how’s your breathing? How much water do you think you swallowed?”, Snake questioned. He was the medic of the group and knew which questions to ask. 

“My breathing seems fine. I’m sorry….I’m not sure how much water I might have swallowed.”

“That’s okay, but I’m going to keep a close eye on you. We need to look out in case you start developing symptoms of secondary drowning. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“What do we need to look out for?” Eagle asked.

“Persistent coughing, labored breathing, chest pain, fatigue, and vomiting are the main ones. You need to tell us immediately if you start experiencing any of these, you understand Alex?” Snake said

“I understand. I promise, I’ll tell you.”

Snake nodded at that and sat down next to Alex. He seemed to relax a bit now knowing that Alex was, for now, okay. The rest of K-unit did the same, sitting side by side against the wall. They spent the rest of the time talking about anything and everything to try and keep their minds of their situation. They talked about sports, what had been happening in the shows they had been watching, what books they had thought about reading. They grew quiet as they once again heard footsteps approach the door. However, it was just a guard once again delivering a tray of food. Like before, there was hardly enough food for them all. They quickly ate and went back to their discussion. Their talk stopped once again once Alex let out a big yawn. Alex looked over at the worried looks of his teammates. 

“Guys, I think I’m just tired. I’m not experiencing any of the other symptoms.” When K-unit still didn’t look totally convinced, Alex added. “Really guys, it must have been hours since it happened, and I haven’t even let out a cough.”

This seemed to calm their concerns as Wolf was the next to let out a big yawn and agree that it must be getting late. They decided they would all settle down and try to get some sleep, knowing that they were going to need it for tomorrow.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

Alan Blunt was not a patient man. He didn’t like waiting for results, but waiting is what he has been forced to do. As soon as Alex and K-unit’s transport had been attacked, an alarm had gone off that had notified MI6. They immediately sent assistance, but they were long gone by the time they arrived. MI6 had quickly identified as Dr. Three as the man responsible. The style of attack was one he had used before; it was his favorite way of obtaining new victims. What they didn’t know was where. Dr. Three had several locations across the globe where he could hide them. They had eventually managed to narrow down the search to England, but that still left too many options. Blunt had every agent available working to find them. He should have known it had been a trap. Finding a Scorpia base so close to London, so close to Alex, it had been too good to be true. 

The door opened and in came Mrs. Jones and Mr. Crowley. Mrs. Jones had left earlier that day to deal with Jack and Tom, both of whom were sick with worry over Alex and K-unit. Mrs. Jones had given them what little information they had and assured them that they were doing everything they could to find them. Mr. Crowley had been working with the field operatives and analysts, searching for any clues as to where they might have gone. Mrs. Jones took her usual place besides Mr. Blunt’s desk, giving Crowley the opportunity to share his results. 

“We don’t have a location yet, but we’ve narrowed it down even farther. The analysts determined that he will most likely be positioned near the border. He plans to kill Alex and K-unit once he’s done with them. Once he has disposed of the bodies, he would need a quick exit from England. That rules out any of his inland locations.”

“That’s still too many to search”, Mrs. Jones stated.

“Yes. But once we’ve narrowed down which country, he is likely to flee to, we can narrow the area to a much more manageable level.”

Blunt said nothing. He was processing the information. It wasn’t the news he was hoping to hear, but in this business, you had to deal with what you had. 

“Very well, go back to the team and keep looking. Dr. Three maybe confident, but he knows we’re searching for them. He knows he can’t do this forever.” Blunt said at last. 

Crowley nodded and left the room without another word. Blunt turned to look at Mrs. Jones, who had popped a mint into her mouth. They shared a look. They would find Alex, he just had to hold out long enough. 

-Line Break-

Alex and K-Unit were waiting. Their “breakfast” had come and went and still no guards had come to collect them yet. Not that they were complaining, but it was the anticipation of what was to come that was starting to get to them. Later on, when Wolf had had time to reflect about the day’s events, he’d think maybe that was what led him to do what he had done. 

Suddenly there were footsteps coming from outside the door once again. The guards entered once again and grabbed them, forcing them down to the room that they had first woke up in. The guards were about to force Alex into the chair when Wolf saw the array of knives, pliers, and other tools on a table off to the side. The sight of them seemed to trigger something inside Wolf because before anyone could stop him, he was fighting the guards, trying to make his way towards Alex. He wasn’t thinking about the consequences, he could only think of protecting Alex. 

The guards quickly subdued him, but the damage had been done. Dr. Three had entered the room just as Wolf had made his move. Alex saw something flicker across Dr. Three’s face. If he didn’t know any better, Alex would have said this is exactly what Dr. Three had planned for. 

“Keep them standing!”, Dr. Three said gesturing towards K-unit before turning to look towards Alex and the guards holding him. 

“Tie his arms behind his back and force him on his knees, facing the group!”

The guards did as ordered and Dr. Three walked closer so that he was standing directly behind Alex. His face was void of any mercy as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the back of Alex’s head. 

“I warned you what would happen if you fought against the guards, if you made any attempt to escape.”

“Please! Don’t do this! It was my mistake! Punish me!”, cried Wolf as he stared at the scared look on Alex’s face. 

“I am”, Dr. Three said as he pulled the trigger. 

K-Unit cried out all at once as they watched Alex slump to the floor and were forced out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex woke up with a splitting headache. It felt as if his head had been split in two. It took several minutes before he mustered up the energy to sit up and open his eyes. He was back in a cell, but not the one he had been in before with K-unit. This one was smaller, and there was no sign of K-unit. Alex felt the back of his head, feeling the mess of dried blood matted into his hair. He could feel an area of impact, but no entry wound. The bullet had been a blank. Where is K-unit? Did Dr. Three have them killed?! Alex worried. He thought he had understood Three and his rules, but clearly Three was playing his own game. 

As if in answer to his thoughts, he heard footsteps approaching the door. He went to stand but the wave of nausea that hit him forced him to sit back down. The door opened and in walked Dr. Three and several of his guards. 

“What have you done with K-unit?” Alex demanded.

“I taught them a lesson. They broke the rules. They’re currently back in your original cell, agonizing over how they caused your death. Oh, don’t worry…”, Dr. Three said seeing Alex’s distressed face, “I’ll bring you back to them shortly and they can rejoice that you are still alive. But I needed to let the message sink in. There will be no more second chances.”

With that, Dr. Three signaled the guards to grab Alex. He was forced out of the room and down a series of long hallways. Alex hoped they would get to the cell soon, he felt as if he were going to vomit. Finally, they stopped outside of a door and Alex was marched in. The guards stood against the wall, Alex still in their grasp, facing K-unit as Dr. Three walked in. K-unit stared at Alex in disbelief. It was as if they were looking at a ghost. 

“As you can see, Alex is still very much alive. Don’t mistake this as an act of mercy or of weakness. It was simply a ploy to get you to follow the rules. I already told Alex, there will be no more second chances. The next time any of you break the rules, he will be killed.” Dr. Three said looking sternly at K-unit, as if daring them to make a move. 

K-unit remained silent, still staring at Alex. Dr. Three turned and gestured to the guards to release Alex. Alex was shoved roughly towards K-unit. Still nauseous, he stumbled towards the ground but never hit. Wolf had stepped forward and caught him at the last second. The sound of the door shutting behind him told him that they were once again alone. 

“Alex…”, Wolf started but was interrupted.

“Vomit”, Alex said trying to make his way towards the toilet. 

Wolf helped Alex to the toilet, where Alex then proceeded vomit. Wolf could hear Snake talking about concussions in the background but was too busy supporting Alex to really hear. After he was done, Wolf helped Alex make his way towards the group and sat him up against the wall. 

“Thanks”, Alex muttered feeling drained. 

“Don’t thank me Cub, I nearly got you killed”, Wolf said guilt-ridden. 

“This isn’t your fault Wolf. It’s Three’s. I don’t blame you for this.”

“You should.”

Alex was about to say more but Eagle stopped him, giving him a look as if to say, I’ll explain later. So, Alex remained quiet and let Snake fuss over him, checking the back of his head, asking him questions, and reminding him to tell them if he felt any new symptoms coming on. A tray of food came later. It was when Fox and Wolf were deep in discussion about something that Alex turned to Eagle and asked to explain what had happened while he had been gone. Eagle glanced over at Wolf before speaking. 

“Alex, you know how seriously Wolf takes being team leader. It’s a core part of who he is. He holds himself responsible for each of our lives. When Dr. Three shot you, we all thought you had been killed. We never doubted that Dr. Three would make good on his word. But Wolf let his emotions get the better of him in that room, and it nearly cost you your life. To him, that’s a mistake that can never be forgiven.”

“But he was just scared for me! He was trying to protect me!”

“You know that, and we know that. But Wolf doesn’t see it that way.”

“How do we help him?”

“Just continue to be there for him. Show him that’s nothing’s changed.” Eagle said while squeezing Alex’s shoulder. 

Alex grabbed the hand on his shoulder and looked Eagle in the eyes. It was the first time since he was back in the cell with them that he saw just how hard those few hours had been on K-unit.

“I’m sorry that you guys had to go through that.” Alex said empathetically.

Eagle brought Alex into a hug, one that seemed to last several minutes. When they finally let go, the rest of the unit was standing close. 

“Everything all good?”, Snake asked

“Yeah, all good.” Alex responded

“You should get some rest Alex. Who knows what these maniacs have planned for tomorrow?” Fox said the last part bitterly. 

Deciding it was best not to fight it, Alex agreed and tried to make himself comfortable. The rest of them shortly falling suit. Alex took one last glance over at Wolf before falling asleep. He hoped that Wolf would heal from this in time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. 
> 
> Trigger Warning: Torture.

Crawley was in a hurry. His field operatives had finally narrowed down a location. It was a small compound located right on the coast. It would allow Dr. Three to quickly leave the country after he was finished with Alex and K-Unit. The sooner he got this information to Mr. Blunt, the sooner a rescue mission could be launched. 

Crawley burst into the office, not even bothering to knock, and relayed his information to Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones. He waited patiently as they took in this information. Finally, Mr. Blunt spoke. 

“Put together a team of our best agents and phone the Sergeant at Breacons Beacons. Tell him to send us his top two units. We’ll coordinate a plan this afternoon and launch the rescue tonight.”

Mr. Crawley nodded and left the room in the same hurried pace he arrived in. 

Mrs. Jones looked over at Mr. Blunt before popping a peppermint in her mouth. If this operation went south, she didn’t think she would ever get the taste of guilt out of her mouth. 

\- Line Break – 

Alex woke up to the sound of the door to their cell being opened. He hurried and sat up, not wanting to be caught off guard more than what he already was. A second later, he let out a quiet sigh of relief as the guard put the tray of food on the ground and left. There was still time to prepare themselves for the torture that lay ahead. How much time, Alex didn’t know. 

Alex looked over at K-unit who were starting to pick at the small array of fruits that they had been given. Wolf was staring at Alex, as if he were waiting for him to grab something first…which he probably was after the events of the day before. Alex grabbed an apple and went back to sitting against the wall, eating in silence. 

“How’s your head feeling today, Cub?” Snake asked. 

Alex felt the back of his head where the blank had hit. The spot was still tender to the touch, but the headache had gone down significantly. He at least didn’t feel as if he were going to puke. 

“Better. Sore but better.” Alex replied truthfully. 

“That’s good.”

They fell back into an awkward silence. Nobody really knew what to say. Alex wanted to comfort K-unit, especially Wolf, over what happened but knew that they wouldn’t listen. They would direct their concern to Alex instead and focus on comforting him. K-unit wanted to comfort Alex, but they knew he also wouldn’t listen. 

They heard footsteps approaching the door again and knew this time it wouldn’t be a tray of food. As they all stood up, Wolf walked over to Alex and put his hand on Alex’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. Alex knew it was Wolf’s way of reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. 

The guards came in and once again forced them out of their cell, down the long hallway, and into a room. The guards holding Alex forced him down into the seat facing K-Unit and tied him down as the rest of the guards tied K-Unit down into the other seats. With the prisoners restrained, the guards left leaving Alex and K-unit alone once more.   
Wolf stared at Alex. He desperately wanted to comfort Alex, to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, but he couldn’t find the words. He didn’t know what Three had planned for Alex this time, but he was willing to bet it was going to be worse than before. Alex seemed to get the message though, because he held his gaze and gave a slight nod. 

A minute later Dr. Three walked into the room with a guard pushing a machine with a tangle of wires. Alex’s heart raced, he didn’t know what the machine was, but it didn’t look good. Alex tried not to flinch as Dr. Three began to attach the wires to various parts of his body. 

“I’ve got something special planned for you today, Alex. Electricity is a useful but often underused tool in the study of torture. Many consider it the lazy man’s way of torture; however, I know better. Given the right voltage and the proper amount of time, the pain of electrocution lasts long after the shocks stop.” Dr. Three said matter of fact. 

Dr. Three finished attaching the wires and grasped Alex’s face, forcing his mouth open.

“Open up and say ahhhh”, Dr. Three said as he placed a rubber ECT gag into Alex’s mouth. 

Alex watched as Dr. Three walked over to the machine, and without a second thought, flipped the switch. Pain was instant. He could feel the electricity racing through his body. He felt his mouth clamp down on the gag as all the muscles in his body contracted. He couldn’t see anything. The pain had forced him to close his eyes. All he could hear was the buzz of the electricity. 

Just when Alex thought it would never end, it stopped. The buzz of electricity disappeared, and his muscles slowly started to relax. Alex forced his eyes open, despite the pain, to see Dr. Three looking at him with cruel interest in his eyes. K-Unit was looking at him with sympathy and concern. 

Dr. Three walked back over to Alex and pulled the gag out. Alex hoped that this meant that he was done for the day. 

“See how effective that was Alex?” Dr. Three asked.

Alex glared at Dr. Three in response. Even if he had the energy to speak, he wasn’t going to play Dr. Three’s game. 

Dr. Three didn’t seem surprised at the lack of response, and simply signaled the guards to take the prisoners away. The guards immediately came in and grabbed them, forcing them back down to their cell.

As soon as they were back in their cell, Alex collapsed to the ground. He was in too much pain to even try to stand up right. He felt strong arms pull him close into a hug, not letting go even as Alex twitched involuntarily. He looked up to see that it was Wolf, doing the only thing he could to help Alex with the pain. Alex relaxed into his arms and allowed unconsciousness to take over.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider or any of the characters.

Wolf always listened to his instincts, his intuition. It’s part of what helped him survive, what helped him lead his team. So, when his instincts started screaming at him that something was going to happen today, he listened. There wasn’t much he could do to prepare for whatever it was, but he could at least warn the rest of his team. 

Wolf looked down at Alex, who was still wrapped up in his arms. The twitching had stopped some hours before, but Wolf made no attempt to move. Wolf had vowed to himself when they first got into this mess that he was going to get Alex, as well as the rest of K-unit, out of it alive. No matter the cost. 

However, Wolf was starting to doubt that he would actually be able to make good on that promise. Wolf’s one attempt to spare Alex any pain had almost gotten him killed. The only reason Alex was still alive was because Dr. Three had wanted to play one of his mind games. 

“Wolf?” Snake said. 

Wolf looked over at Snake across the room. Snake had a look of concern across his face. Wolf wasn’t surprised. Snake had always been able to tell when something was bothering someone. 

“Bad feeling about today….more so than usual”, Wolf answered. 

Snake just nodded his head. There wasn’t much he could say to that. Instead he turned his attention to Alex. 

“And Alex?”

“He’s stopped twitching.”

“That’s a good sign.”

Wolf just nodded his head in agreement. He didn’t know if there were going to be any lasting damage from the shocks, but at least one of the affects had disappeared.   
Wolf felt Alex begin to stir in his arms. Carefully, Wolf removed his arms around Alex and gently laid him on the floor to allow him to wake up unrestricted. He stayed close though. 

Alex slowly opened his eyes. It seemed to take him a few minutes before he remembered where he was, and what had happened. Carefully, he sat up to face the rest of the unit, who were all looking at him with concern. 

“How long was I out?” Alex asked.

“A couple hours? It’s hard to tell time in here”, Fox answered. 

“How are you feeling?” Snaked asked.

“Like I was hit by a truck.”

“Not surprising”, Eagle muttered. 

Alex glanced around, there was more tension in the air than usual. Looking around the cell, he couldn’t figure out what it was. Had something happened while he’d been unconscious? Wolf seemed to pick up on his confusion.

“I have a bad feeling about today”, Wolf stated. 

That explained the added tension in the room. Wolf’s instincts had been right several times before. If Wolf’s instincts were telling him that something was going to go down today, then there probably was. 

Alex leaned back against the wall, settling into the same uneasy silence as K-unit. Bad feeling or not, there wasn’t much they could do about except wait for it to come.

-Line Break-

Dr. Three frowned from behind his desk. MI6 had found his temporary hide out. His intel told him that their forces weren’t that far out, and that Dr. Three’s own forces were outnumbered. He knew they would find the base eventually; he had just hoped that he would have had more time with his test subjects before it happened. 

They were close, but there was still time for Dr. Three to leave. He gathered his most important files and destroyed the rest. He hurried down the hall and out of the building. There was a helicopter waiting for him on the small helipad. He gave one last order before entering.

“Get rid of the prisoners”, Dr. Three said simply. 

The guard nodded and left as the door to the helicopter shut. By the time MI6 found the bodies, Dr. Three would be long gone. 

-Line Break-

Alex and K-Unit were given no warning before the door to their cell burst open. The guards didn’t say a word as they quickly grabbed them, tying their hands behind their backs, before forcing them out of the cell. 

Once again, they were marched down the hallway, but instead of turning into any of the rooms, they just kept going until they reached a door at the end of the hall. A guard pushed it open and suddenly, Alex and K-unit were thrust into the outdoors for the first time in days. It was dark out, but the compound was lit up with bright lights.   
Alex was forced down on his knees along with the rest of K-unit at his side. Alex fought back a wave of fear and panic. There was no sign of Dr. Three and the fact that they had been brought outside for the first time in days spoke for itself. Time had run out. This wasn’t another torture session; this was an execution. Alex looked over at the rest of K-unit, it looked like they had reached the same conclusion.

“Alex…”, Wolf said sadly. It seemed it was all that he could say.

Alex heard the guards behind them raise and cock their guns. It would be any minute now. Alex’s closed his eyes. He didn’t want this compound to be the last thing he saw, and he couldn’t watch as K-unit were killed as well. 

Alex heard a series of shots…. but he didn’t feel any pain. He was still breathing. He heard bodies drop behind him. Alex didn’t want to open his eyes. Didn’t want to risk having to see K-Unit’s dead bodies staring back at him. But he forced himself to open them anyway. 

K-unit was alive, staring back at him with the same look of surprise. They all turned their heads to look behind them. There were the guards, all dead on the ground, all with a bullet to the head. Before they could even voice the many questions, they had on their mind, a small explosion brought their attention back to the front.

Several military vehicles were driving through the now open front gate, shooting at any guards that had stayed to defend the compound. One of the vehicles stopped a couple of feet away from Alex and K-unit. Alex felt a wave of relief as he recognized the SAS uniforms. The soldiers made quick work of untying them and hurrying them into vehicle. They drove off the minute the door was shut. 

“Targets secure.” One of the soldiers said into his headset. 

Alex looked at the rest of K-unit. They were in the same state of shock and relief as he was. For a moment none of them said anything. 

“Alex needs medical attention”, Wolf said to their rescuers. 

Any other time, Alex would have protested, would’ve have shoved away the unwanted attention. But he was too tired to care right now, so he just sat back and let the medics fuss over him. There would be time for teenage stubbornness later.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider or any of the characters. 
> 
> This is the last chapter. Thank you guys for enjoying my story and following along!

Alex was kept in the hospital for 24 hours for observation before the doctors agreed he was well enough to return home. Though they gave strict instructions for him not to do anything dangerous. Alex liked to think that was more directed towards MI6 than it was him. Tom said it could go either way. Whatever the case was, Alex was just glad to be home.   
He hated hospitals. 

Now they were all back at the house. Jack had made the executive decision of ordering pizza, the various boxes spread around the kitchen and family room. Snake and Jack were arguing over which kind of pizza was better, Tom and Eagle were playing Mario Kart, and Fox and Wolf were having another discussion in the corner that Alex couldn’t quite hear. Alex himself was sitting relaxed in the sofa, watching everyone, content to just sit there and take it all in. He had come to close to losing all of it. 

A moment later, he felt Wolf sit down beside him.

“Enjoying yourself?” Wolf asked.

“Yeah. You?” Alex responded. 

Wolf nodded in agreement and settled further into the sofa. Alex decided he would take this moment to say what had been on his mind for the past couple days. 

“It wasn’t your fault. None of it. Not us being captured, not me being tortured, and especially not Three’s sick mind game. I don’t blame you; no one here blames you. I know you; I know you won’t be able to just get rid of that guilt, but we’re all alive. Focus on that.” 

Wolf looked like he was about to argue for a second but didn’t. Alex took it as a sign that his words had actually registered with something in him. 

“Thank you”, Wolf said quietly. 

Alex gave Wolf a small smile. Wolf would be just fine.


End file.
